The present invention relates to a cup sleeve holder for use with a hot or cold beverage drinking cup. In particular, the invention relates to a tubular band or sleeve preferably made out of recyclable material, such as corrugated paper, which fits snugly around the circumference of a drinking cup. The band comprises at least two tabs located on opposite sides of the top edge of the band which extend transversely against the cup sidewall and act as a support or shelf to rest on the top of a drinker's hand. The tabs move about a hinge whereby the end closest to the cup sidewall comes to rest against the cup sidewall. When the sleeve is mounted on the cup and is being held in one hand, the weight of the cup and its contents produces an upward force against each of the tabs which in turn causes the tab to move about the hinge in a downward direction thereby causing the closest tab end to the cup sidewall to tightly engage with the cup sidewall. This engagement precludes the tab from moving further in an upward directly thereby causing the tab to stabilize in a substantially horizontal juxtaposition with the cup as the cup rests on the top of the user's first curved finger and thumb. The tabs provide a simple, comfortable, stable and strong support for holding the cup while drinking a hot or cold beverage.
Drinking cups are a ubiquitous product in the beverage industry. Billions of cups are sold annually throughout the world. It is common to use drinking cups made out of Styrofoam, paper products and the like, especially for restaurants, convenience stores and fast food shops. While Styrofoam cups continue to be very popular, the cup industry increasingly produces and sells paper cups due to environmental concerns since Styrofoam does not biodegrade as quickly as paper. One of the disadvantages of using a paper cup is that its thermal insulating property is far less efficient than a Styrofoam cup. One's fingers can be easily burned when holding a fresh paper coffee cup without additional thermal protection. This significant disadvantage spawned the development of what is known in the art as a “sleeve” which is customarily made out of a corrugated paper product in the shape of a tubular sleeve or band which fits snugly around the cup. The sleeve comprises insulating properties such as annular grooves, vertical flutes or multiple nubbins and depressions interspersed about the inside and/or outside wall of the sleeve which gives some protection from the heat transference of the contents of the cup by increasing the space between the cup sidewall and the hand. Notwithstanding this improvement, the insulating properties of the corrugated sleeves shown in the prior art fail to adequately protect the user from being burned or at least feeling the heat through the cup from the hot liquid especially from a fresh cup of coffee which often times can cause the user to spill or drop the cup due to the sever heat. Further, the sleeves of the prior art provide no additional advantage or convenience in holding, stabilizing or gripping the cup while carrying it or drinking its contents.
The prior art has attempted to address the disadvantages of the corrugated paper sleeves. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,497 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,786 show a band of paper material with a plurality of nubbins and depressions dispersed along the inner and outer side of the band. U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 discloses a paper band with a fluted structure disposed along the outside of the band which helps protect the user's hand and fingers from the heat transfer of the hot liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,553 discloses a cup sleeve with a plurality of concentric ring-like bands which are aligned and connected to one above the other so as to form a unitary sleeve by peripheral ridges extending from the bottom edge of one band to the top edge of the next adjacent band. While these bands may offer some insulation from the heat transference of the cup contents, they still do not offer an effective insulated product to protect the user from a very hot beverage.
Another disadvantage of using a paper cup containing a hot liquid is that the user has a tendency to grip the sides of the cup with less pressure than is normally needed and desired to maintain control, because the cup is too hot to hold tightly. As a way of avoiding being burned by the hot cup surface, a user may tend to hold the cup with the last one or two fingers of their cup-holding-hand in order to support the bottom of the cup so that the user's grip of the cup need not be as tightly held tightly. Even with the use of a cup sleeve as shown in the prior art, this problem is not alleviated since the insulating qualities of the sleeves are not sufficiently adequate to protect the user from all of the heat transference of the contents of the cup. Either the sleeve is not thick enough to minimize heat transfer or the space between the sleeve and the cup sidewall is not wide enough to provide insulation, or the material does not have sufficient insulating qualities or design to protect the user.
The prior art has attempted to correct the aforementioned disadvantages by providing a cup sleeve with finger holders to provide additional protection and stability. U.S. Patent 2010/0200603 shows a sleeve which has protrusions extending horizontally from the band which are used to support only one a finger. These protrusions are very small and can tear or bend easily especially when holding a full cup of coffee thereby causing the cup to lose stability and fall out of the user's hand.
Consequently, there is a need for a cup sleeve which not only permits one to drink comfortably while holding a full cup of hot coffee, but also aids in the prevention of spillage of the cup's contents by providing a sturdy support to hold and grip the cup while also protecting the user's fingers from the intense heat of the cup's contents, especially when the coffee is first served.